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WHO SUCCEEDS HILLARY?

BRYCE ON POLITICS

– What happens if she becomes disabled in office?

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I do not like to belabor Hillary Clinton’s medical condition as I genuinely hope she remains well, but something occurred to me today that is unsettling and a subject nobody is talking about. Let’s play Devil’s Advocate for a moment. Let’s suppose Mrs. Clinton wins the White House and settles in. However, during the course of her term in office she happens to become incapacitated as she did recently. The question then becomes, “Who runs the nation?” Obviously, there are many things that will go on autopilot, and the cabinet will fulfill their duties, but what if some emergency arises while she is recuperating?

Constitutionally, the Vice President succeeds the President under such a scenario. We saw this when Nixon covered for Ike during his heart attack, and George H.W. Bush covered for Reagan when he was shot. In Mrs. Clinton’s case, it would fall to Tim Kaine, a former senator and governor. However, I doubt Kaine would be given a chance to lift a finger to help the president.

Because of the Clinton culture of cover-up, the country would likely not know the seriousness of Mrs. Clinton’s condition which will be kept rather private. Instead, her husband, Bill Clinton, our 42nd president, will likely be calling the shots quietly behind the scenes. This is one reason why Democrats favor the Clintons, as they see it as a package deal, a “twofer” or “BOGOF.”

If this is true, Bill Clinton’s character and health should also come under scrutiny. Although he is still beloved in Democratic circles, people have not forgotten he was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice. Further, his romantic interludes led to his law license being suspended.

As to his health, Mr. Clinton, at age 70, looks frail and weak, particularly when compared to Donald Trump who is of the same age yet has a clean bill of health. The former president, on the other hand, had surgery in 2004 for a quadruple bypass, and in 2005 for a partially collapsed lung.

The question remains though, did you approve of the job Mr. Clinton did as president? While many of us vividly remember his term of office, the millennials know nothing about him and cannot form an adequate opinion.

Only if something happens to both Mrs. Clinton and her husband will Tim Kaine be allowed to do his job of succeeding the president. Instead, I suspect Mr. Kaine will be attending a lot of state funerals and ribbon cutting events.

3 comments to WHO SUCCEEDS HILLARY?

There’s precedent here Tim. Woodrow Wilson was from accounts completely disabled by a massive stoke and the Presidency run by a few people in the inner circle. Also, some accounts say that FDR’s heart disease was so advanced that he was only awake a few hours a day. Again, decisions were made by his inner circle and they don’t seem to have included Vice President Truman.